"Government of Maldives will pave way for free, fair and credible elections"

The Maldivian government has said that they working tirlessly to ensure that the Presidential Election this year would be a free, fair and credible election.

In response to the EU statement calling for a transparent, fair election in the Maldives with the participation of all of the political parties in the country, the Maldivian government issused a statement today saying that they are working towards that end.

The government said that since the enactment of the 2008 Constitution, the Maldives has held several parliamentary and local elections including two presidential elections, "all of which were declared free, fair and credible by the international community, even as recently as in 2017."

And so there is no justifiable reason to believe that the presidential elections scheduled for later this year can be any different.

Responding to the EU statement in relation to the MP for Dhiggaru consituency, Faris Maumoon, the Maldivian government noted the allegation MP Faaris was held in detention for nearly six months without any trial date is factually incorrect and that Mr. Maumoon’s trial process had commenced in the said duration and was lengthened due to the various pre-trial motions raised by his team of lawyers, on which the Criminal Court had made its decision on 31 January 2018.

"The charges against Mr. Maumoon are serious charges not only in the Maldives, but in other countries as well. The Government has and will continue to ensure that due process will be followed and guarantee his right to a free and fair legal process. At the same time, the Government also hopes that its partners respect the domestic processes and recognize the gravity of the charge of which Mr. Maumoon is accused of." The government statement said.

MP Faaris was released last Thursday before being arrested against on Saturday.